By TOBI AWORINDE and DENNIS NAKU

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, says the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government has dragged Nigeria 50 years backward due to its “abysmal” performance.

Wike alleged that the APC had mismanaged the opportunity Nigerians gave them to make a difference and deserve to be voted out in 2023.

The governor also alleged that Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State was reaping from the evil he plotted against Rivers State in the past.

He stated this when the Vice President of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, Obiageli Ejezie, led other leaders of the association to the Government House, Port Harcourt, to confer on him the 2019/2020 Good Governance Award for his outstanding achievements in project execution in Rivers State.

The governor, in a statement by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, told the delegation that in 2015, the APC convinced Nigerians that they were going to offer better governance than former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He argued that after assuming the top office, the ruling party had continued the country on the path of retrogression.

“There can’t be good governance without security and this is based on the rule of law. All of us are living witnesses that in 2015, it was alleged that the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan could not perform.

“So, Nigeria needed a change. What has happened to the change? They have taken Nigeria back by 50 years,” he said.

Wike wondered for how long the APC-led Federal Government would allow the needless killings and abduction of innocent Nigerians to continue.

The governor said, “Now, you wake up every morning, students are being kidnapped in so-and-so state university; people have been killed in so-and-so state. It has become the norm.

“Just wake up in the morning and the first thing you will see on the front page of the dailies is ‘10 people have been kidnapped in Niger State; 20 have been killed in Zamfara State, five have been killed in Imo’ and this happens virtually every day. So, where are we heading to?”

He accused the Federal Government of instigating security crises in Rivers, saying the APC governors had visited the Presidency to demand the withdrawal of a commissioner of police from Rivers.

“Now, in order to cause crises in our state, they brought the CP they wanted. At the end of the day, God did not allow them to have their way. But see what is happening in his state now. When you are plotting evil against somebody, evil will visit you. And that is the problem Governor el-Rufai is facing today in Kaduna State.’’

“I remember when I came in 2015, when they were honouring one of their friends as a minister on live television, Channels, el-Rufai had the temerity to say (my) election could not stand in Rivers State and that they would kick me out,” Wike said.

Earlier, Ejezie said the Rotary board of directors had approved Wike as best suited for the 2019/2020 Good Governance Award for his sustainable projects, saying there were “many laudable and sustainable development projects of your government scattered across Rivers State.”

Meanwhile, efforts to get the reaction of el-Rufai’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Muyiwa Adekeye, to Wike’s allegation proved abortive as multiple calls to his number did not go through, while a text message sent to his number was still not answered as of press time.

(Saturday PUNCH)

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